Biomass valorization via electrocatalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage

Renewable electrocatalytic upgrading of biomass feedstocks into valuable chemicals is one of the promising strategies to relieve the pressure of traditional energy-based systems. Through electrocatalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage of high selectivity, various functionalized molecules, such as organic acids, amides, esters, and nitriles, have great potential to be accessed from biomass. However, it has merely received finite concerns and interests in the biorefinery. This review first showcases the research progress on the electrocatalytic conversion of lipid/sugar- and lignin-derived molecules (e.g., glycerol, meso-erythritol, xylose, glucose, 1-phenylethanol, and cyclohexanol) into organic acids via specific carbon–carbon bond scission processes, with focus on disclosing reaction mechanisms, recognizing actual active species, and collecting feasible modification strategies. For the guidance of further extensive studies on biomass valorization, organic transformations via a variety of reactions, including decarboxylation, ring-opening, rearrangement, reductive hydrogenation, and carboxylation, are also disclosed for the construction of similar carbon skeletons/scaffolds. The remaining challenges, prospective applications, and future objectives in terms of biomass conversion are also proposed. This review is expected to provide references to develop renewed electrocatalytic carbon–carbon bond cleavage transformation paths/strategies for biomass upgrading.